Folding cot.



IVI. LOWY.

roLnmec oT, APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. IBM.

LQWM 1L Patented. A r. 23,1918.

4 SHEETS- SHEET l.

WITNESSES v INVENTOR fi )1 V r r By I 2 I' f! 2 $1, m Z3 $14 ATTOR/VE IVI LOWY.

FOLDING COT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. I914.

Patented Apr. 23,1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Fig. 5

INl/E/VTOR ATTOR y W/T/VESSES M. LOWY.

FOLDING COT.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 8, m4;

Patented Apr. 23, 1918;

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

WITNESSES LOWY. FOLDJNG' COT. APPLICATION HLED OCT. 8. 19M.

Patented Apr. 23,1918.

4 SHEETS -$HEET 4.

I O 0 a? e a u "mm: olaoio a WITNESSES MORRIS LOWY, OF NEW YORK, N, Y., ASS IGNOR T0 nnenannnn SPRING BED 00., on

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

- FOLDING COT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, T9915.

original application filed March 3, 1913, Serial No. 751.864. Divided and. this application filed October 8,

1914. Serial No. 865,713.

certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cots, of which the following is a specification, the same being a division of application, Serial No. 751,864, filed March 3,1913.

This invention relates to folding cots, the 7 object thereof being to simplify the construction of devices of this kind by providing a structure which is light, durable, simple, inexpensive to manufacture, and which can be readily so folded that it will occupy a very small space, and to that end it is the object of the invention to provide a folding cot comprising a pair of foldable sections or frames each having but a single pair of legs so that the cot as a whole has but two pairs of legs so located and organized as to efficiently and effectively support the frames or sections and which legs are so connected with the sections that by one movement both of the sections aswell as the legs may be folded into a compact upright structure or opened in readiness for use, and when open the cot will be maintained in its position against premature closure. In short, one of the principal ob jects of the present improvement is to pro vide a folding cot with the least possible number connecting them with the sections that by one movement both sections may be folded in an upright position, thus very much simplifying, as hereinbefore stated, structures of this kind.

It is usual to provide folding cots with at least three pairs or more of legs, one pair thereof being located adjacent to the pivotal connection of the cot sections in order to support the middle of the cot when in use. This not only increases the expense of the structure but increases its weight as well as complicates it and requires more effort and is more annoying in order to open and close the structure, and unless the folding cots heretofore known have such intermediate set or sets of legs they are by reason of their construction inefficiently supported, so that the object of the present improvement is of legs that may be used, towit, one pair of legs for each folding section and so not only'to reduce the number of legs and parts heretofore used, (for each additional set of legs also requires other additional parts such as pivots, etc. to make it effic1ent,) thereby to simplify the construction, but to so locate them and connect them with the sections that the fewest possible number of legs may be used to efficiently support the sections even though those legs may be located adjacent to the outer ends of the sections and also to so organize the structure that on folding of the cot sections in an upright position the legs will also be folded without an additional operation on the part of the user.

A few of the many possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cot constructed in accordance with the present invention in its extended position; Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cot in its folded position; Fig. 4 is a planview of a detail of construction; Fig. 4 is a plan view of another detail; Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a modified cot in its extended position; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of this cot in its folded state; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another modified cot in its extended position; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of this cot folded; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a further, modification; and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the device shown in Fig. 9 folded.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4:, inclusive, the numeral 20 indicates the top frame of the cot. This frame con1 prises an oblong structure, formed of two similar sections 21 and 22, each of which is constructed, preferably, of angle-irons.

The section 21 comprises side rails 23, the

outer ends of which are connected by an. end rail 24. In a similar manner consists the section 22 of side rails 25, which are connected at their outer ends by an end rail 26. The side rails of both sections of the top frame are united by plate members 27, which are pivoted at 28, 28 to the inner ends thereof. The two plate members are con nected by a cross rod or brace 29 of drop form to make the structure more rigid, the.

drop form of the rod leaving sufficient clearance under the bed bottom to enable the Q w w 1,263,911

latter to sagunder the Weight of a person lying thereupon without his body striking or contacting with the said cross rod.

The top frame" carries a bed spring which might serve at the same time as a mattress. For this purpose the said frame is provided with a plurality of apertures 30 in the horizontal legs of the angle-irons constituting said frame. Each of these apertures is en lo gaged by one end of a spring 31, the other end of which is. attached to a sheet 32 of a suitable fabric or other flexible material.

The structure now described forms a combined mattress and spring, and is adapted to be folded with the bed as the latter is brought into the position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Each section of the frame is supported by a pair of legs 33', which are provided with casters 34 for a well known purpose. Each pair of legs is suitably braced by tie-rods 35, each of which extends from the'upper portion of one leg to the lower part of its pair, forming thereby a very stiff. brace and leaving suiii'cient clearance under the center of the cot. One pair of legs is pivoted at 36, 36 to the side rails 23, and the other pair at 37', 37' to the side rails 25. To each side rail 23. is fulcrumed at 38 link 39,

' the other end of which is pivoted at 40 to r the leg supporting one, of the side rails 25, that ijs-to say the links 39 of the section 21 of the'cot are connected with the legs of the1secti'0n22, and in a similar manner are connected the links 41 of the side rails 25 of'thesection 22 with the legs of the section- 21, The legs extend. at; an acute angle to their-respective side rails, when the cot 15 in. its extended. position. The structure is thereby rendered; safe and prevented from collapsing. As. additional, safety means i ifih link may carry a stop 42, which is adjaptedtoabtit againsttheother link upon thefsanie side'of the cot, when the latter is 45 in its extended position.

In order. to. facilitate the handling, that 7 is to, say the folding and extending of the.

cot,,handles 43, 43' are attached to the side rails of the frame.

V The operation of this device is as follows:

In order to fold the. cot, the operator takes hold of the, handles 43,43, and moves the central portions of the frame sections upward, swinging them around the pivots 28, which; resultspdue to. the connections between the, sidierails andllegs, in a swinging of said legs. around. the pivots 36 and 37, until the legs abut against their respective side. rails andthe saidside rails. are, brought '60 in parallel relation to. each. other. into the positions showninFig. 4 of, the drawings.

If desired', an -upholstered mattress and the. bed, clothing canalso, be folded" with theframe, in which case, however, the gap .65 formed between the inner ends of'the side folding sections are pivotally connected to plates or plate members 27 which thus form,

as it were, a short intermediate portion or section, see Fig. 4 for instance, which maintains the two folding sections of the cot suitably spaced to provide a proper place for the legs and the links when the structure is folded.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, diifering from the one above described in that it is made of wood and of somewhat simpler design. its side rails 23 and 25 are wooden bars, the outer ends of which are connected by the end bars 24 and 26, respectively, said end bars being provided with recesses 45, in which the legs are seated when the cot is folded. The inner ends of the bars 23 and 25 are united by plate members 46, 46, which are pivoted at 47, 47 to said bars. Each pair of side bars is united by a pair of plate members 46, the inner ones of the plate members being connected by a cross rod 29. The pivots 47 form at the same time the connecting means between 0 the links 39, 41 and the bars 23 and 25, respectively. Otherwise the construction and operation of this bed is the same as of that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

The fabric, forming the mattress part. is

and 23", pivoted together at 48. The pori tions 49 of the side rail parts 23 extend beyondthe pivots 48, and are pivotally connected by means of links 50 with the legs 33 of the same frame section. In their ex-- tended positions the links 50 hold the head- 1'20 rest at an angle to the plane of the top frame. In folding the cot, the legs 33 of the section 21 will by means of the links 50 shift the said head-rest into the plane ofthe" side rail parts 23 A further modification ofthe invention is illustrated in Figs. 9and 10. This structurediffers from the one described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, only in that it is provided withend'pieces, that is 130 to say a head and foot, so as to give it the appearance of a normal bedstead. These end pieces are denoted by the numerals 93, and pivoted around their middle portions at 94, 94 to vertical arms 95, which are rigidly attached at 96 to the side rail sections of the cot. These head and foot members have their end portions projecting be low the side rails and to the lower ends of these projecting portions are pivoted at 97 bent links 98, the other ends of which are fulcrumed at 99 to their respective legs 33.

When, in folding this cot, the central portions of the side rails are lifted, the links 98 shift the end pieces 93 around their pivots 94 until they are brought into substan tially parallel relation to the side rail sections, as clearly shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings. 7

It is to be observed that in the devices shown in Figs. 5, 7 and 9, the cross rods 29 are bent in such a manner that they rest upon the links 39 and 41 when the cots are in their extended positions. The central portions of the beds are thus greatly strengthened without the aid of the usual middle legs which are used nearly upon all folding beds and cots. It is to be observed that the same construction can be used in connection with the cot shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

The angle-iron piece 44 above described acts as a stop by reason of the fact that it overlaps the side rails when the cot is in its extended position and thus prevents the same from moving out of alinement under weight. The plate members 27 form a short intermediate portion or section, and not only maintain the two folding sections of the cot suitably spaced to provide a proper place for the legs and links, but by reason of the angle-iron pieces 44 carried thereby, they act as stops to maintain the frame sections in alinement.

It will also be obvious from the foregoing that in the several forms of the invention, although the cot is of suliicient length to accommodate a person lengthwise thereof, that it has but two pairs of legs and that these are located relatively remote from each other and in fact relatively near the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ends of the cot, and yet by means of the improved connection between such legs and the cot sections they are ample as has been proved in practice to efiiciently and effectively support the cot in its open position even when the same is used by several persons, and at the same time enable the cot to be readily opened or folded into an up right position by but one operation.

What I claim is 1. In a folding cot, the combination with a pair of foldable cot sections, of a short middle section pivotally connected to the inner ends thereof, said foldable cot sections folding transversely of the cot by lifting such inner ends and allowing the outer ends to drop and close toward each other, the inner ends of said foldable cot sections resting upon said middle section when the cot is extended, a single pair of legs pivoted to each of said first two sections, a pair of links connecting the legs of each foldable section with the opposite foldable section of the cot, and an end-piece pivotally connected to the outer ends of each cot section and its pair of legs.

2. In a folding cot, the combination with a pair of foldable cot sections, of a short middle section pivotally connected to the inner ends thereof, said foldable cot sections folding transversely of the cot by lifting such inner ends and allowing the outer ends to drop and close toward each other, the inner ends of said foldable cot sections resting upon said middle section when the cot is extended, a single pair of legs pivoted to each of said first two sections, a pair of links connecting the legs of each foldable section with the opposite foldable section of the cot, an end-piece fulcrumed to each foldable section, and links pivotally connecting each end-piece with the legs of the same section.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 6th day of Oct, A. D. 1914,,

-MORRIS LOWY.

Witnesses SIGMUND HERZOG, S. BIRNBAUM.

of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

